


Learning to Date

by Merfilly



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dating, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-18
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-16 04:44:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1332373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Clark Kent got his powers back, Lois decided she couldn't keep sharing him with the world. Newly single, Clark Kent gets dating advice from the Martian Manhunter that leads him down a flighty road.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning to Date

**Author's Note:**

> Published in serial format and never truly completed on Livejournal.

The world had gone to the brink of destruction, and on past it into hell, yet they had recovered. Most had spent a quiet year, recovering, trying to make themselves better for the next crisis. Some, those who had sacrificed so much, merely found the time to heal and concentrate on a better future.

One such was Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter, who had returned to a life of normality. He settled back into work with The Daily Planet, concentrated on being the husband of Lois Lane's dreams, and found that life among the humans was even better when he was one of them.

And then, just a little over a year after he lost so much, it was given back. Lois Lane-Kent thought she could endure it, thought she could go back to being Mrs. Superman.

But that was a false face. Both of them realized it early on, and came to the mutually painful conclusion. Their marriage was not going to survive the return of his powers, and it was time to move on.

That had been almost six months prior, and had seen many changes in the community of heroes to which he belonged. Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter, had returned to strictly handling the Metropolis beat, while Lois Lane gallivanted across the world for Associated Press.

Superman, meantime, had begun to feel the press of loneliness, having grown far too accustomed to family living. He was unsure who to talk to, having felt vaguely like a disappointment to his parents for his failure to be the man Lois wanted. None of his friends among the heroes seemed to be right for the job, until he saw J'onn for a lunch date in Metropolis. J'onn was in his gossip columnist guise, and somehow it made it easier to spill out his thoughts to the 'woman' he had been friends with for some time now.

He just was unprepared for J'onn's advice.

"You need to date." The easy way Goldie said it almost caused Clark to disregard her. "In your own circle of peers," she stressed. "Those who understand, and feel the same pull are more likely to make better spouses."

"But…I don't know how." Clark was bemused.

"Then you have a long road to walk, my friend."

* * *

Superman was disgruntled, but he knew J'onn's advice had been accurate. He hated being alone, and knew he was becoming a nuisance to his friends, always trying to find a way to be with them. He found himself scanning over the various women in the hero community as he worked with them, weighing the potential attraction and long term benefits. When Oracle called on him to lend emergency back up to her Birds Of Prey, it was like a crash of lightning hitting him fully in the chest. He handled the meta threat that had appeared on their mission, while noting that the girls…no, women, had almost made him unnecessary. He accepted the grudging thanks from Huntress and smiled warmly at Lady Blackhawk while commenting on how he admired her original team. For Gypsy, with her blushing admiration of him, he gave a tender smile that made the girl almost faint, before his eyes came to rest on Black Canary.

He had known the streetwise detective for years. They had met in the early years of the Justice League, when the woman had barely been out of high school, and in another world, she might well have been a prime mover of the Justice League. As it was, her help over the years had caused many to regard her as a senior member of the hero community despite being only a few years older than the Titans.

"It's been awhile, Black Canary," he said, vaguely remembering that she had carried a crush on him as a younger woman.

"Yes it has, Superman. Thanks for lending us a hand," she told him, her blue eyes meeting his with a merry light. "We've got it from here, if you have something to get back to." Her casual dismissal of him was enough to make his nerve falter a moment, but then he saw Huntress was nursing her leg, and that was where Canary's attention was. It was another reason to respect her abilities; she led with her heart and mind in one accord; the team came first.

"Want me to take you somewhere, Huntress?" He kept his tone polite; she had changed from the angry young woman they had fired from the League, or so Batman said. And Batman had pinned most of the change on Oracle and Canary.

"No, we've got a kit on Aerie One," she told him, but she did accept two of her teammates slipping under her arms for support.

"Alright, then, ladies; be safe, and keep in touch." He flew off, while contemplating all he knew about Black Canary. In the end, he wound up contacting J'onn, having heard they were chummy during her official time in the League.

* * *

Finding Dinah Lance in Gotham was not too difficult. It seemed she had found time to finally reopen her mother's old florist shop and lived right above it. One of the things that set her apart from many heroes, was her utter lack of distinction between Dinah Lance and Black Canary. She had not bothered to maintain a secret identity in years, and it made her the very thing Oliver Queen had sought to be: an everyman's hero.

He cautiously rapped on her window, hoping that Batman would forgive his intrusion into Gotham in the pursuit of romance. She glanced out, saw the bright primary colors hovering there, and smiled as she came to open the window.

"Well, hi there, Big Blue," she said in her saucy tone. She stepped back to let him enter. "Yes, Oracle; it's him. Yes, please keep the bat pressure down by letting him know." Her voice was not aimed at him, he realized, as he caught the voice talking in her ear. "Superman, business or personal?" she asked him, her blue eyes dancing with laughter.

"Umm…personal." He tried not to listen in as Oracle caught his reply. "I promise to be as quiet as a mouse while I'm here," he added, making both women laugh softly.

"Alright, Oracle. I'm going offline so he doesn't have to worry about you gossiping." Dinah's voice was amused. "Use my phone if something comes up." She reached up and removed her earrings then, setting them on the table. "Drink, Superman?"

"Do you have milk?" he asked, getting a chuckle from her.

"Yes. I have to keep it on hand, for those rare days J'onn finds time to come see me." She walked into the small kitchen area, and poured two glasses of cold milk, bringing them and a plate of fresh cookies out.

"I did not know you baked," he told her, taking two cookies.

"I don't. But I have all the best places on speed dial, and Roy's bringing Lian to me tonight," she said in turn. "So, what brings the Big Gun of the League to my apartment in the early evening hours?" There it was; her famous bluntness, poured out in that warm voice that made Oliver Queen melt into a pile of goo. Superman had not caught the full scoop of why the pair had remained apart, even though they teamed up quite often to handle League business. He just hoped it meant she was free to date.

"I was wondering…" He had to take a breath, wiping the cookie crumbs from his lips hastily. "If you might, umm, consider going on a date with me?"

Dinah blinked once, then smiled. "Did Ollie put you up to this? Or Bruce?" She laughed softly. "No, this smells like one of Ted's jokes." Superman winced at the familiar way her voice curled around 'Bruce' and wondered what he had missed in the reclusive Bat's life.

"No joke, but if you're seeing someone…I mean, I assumed, since you don't live in Star City…" He was fumbling for words, and it had a curious effect on her. He had heard she had an underlying empathy, for reading people. Of course, living with a man that had trampled on her heart for years might have honed her nose for truth, he noted sadly.

"I'd like that, Superman. A date would be nice." She reached out and touched his hand, reminding him that she was one of the more tactile women in the League, both as a friend and as an enemy. "And no, I'm not seeing anyone. You just caught me off guard. I know you recently, well, I know about your other life too." She was admitting to knowing his identity, and had heard of his civilian divorce.

"That's just it. I'm really wanting to," he began, but her soft smile stopped him.

"You're testing the waters, and I'm honored that you thought of me in that light. Let's take it slow and easy, Big Blue; it's never easy starting over." She stood up, indicating it was time for him to go. "Friday night at eight in Metropolis?"

"I'd rather pick you up," he said, rising from the chair.

"Deal." She escorted him to the window, noting that Roy's car was just pulling up below. "Until then." She gave him a hug at the window, bemusing him with her openness and her floral scent, before he flew off to plan the date.

* * *

Dinah had not been sure which personality would pick her up, but when Superman showed up, it made sense. Any person who dated her would be under suspicion for being a hero, since she had no secret identity; it was why she was so careful not to intrude in Ollie's life at all now. She was dressed in her simple but elegant way, a tribute to the girl next door, actually. Superman could see traces of Lana-country in her, under her Lois-city veneer. She graciously let him scoop her up, taking her away to a little place in San Paolo. The couple that owned it were honored to have Superman there, and even smiled graciously at Dinah as the Boy in Blue seated her at the cozy little table.

Blue eyes met blue after the woman assured them that dinner would be completely to their liking, and then Dinah smiled. "Not that I am ungrateful to be swept off my feet like this, but I've been thinking quite a bit since the other night." She toyed with her drink before licking her lips in such an unconscious fashion that Superman blinked. He knew without even checking that she did not realize how she could affect a man like him; it was just part of her everyday nature.

"Thinking about me coming by, and asking you out?" he clarified, more to get a grip on his thoughts running down the wrong tracks for a farm boy.

"Something like that." She leaned forward, her eyes and smile impish. "I'm not in your league, Superman. Never have been. So, am I just the first convenient rebound girl, or did J'onn suggest that you come find someone with hero experience?" When Superman looks faintly embarrassed, Dinah let out a triumphant 'ha'.

"I did speak to J'onn, but all he suggested was dating." Superman smiled in good-natured embarrassment at her deductions.

"Well, I still win my bet; Oracle said you would have gone to Diana for dating advice. So, back to the question: why me?" Dinah now flirted with him on purpose, using her drink and subtle body language to keep his attention fully. He decided that this flirtatious Canary was as tempting as the unconsciously seductive one, but entirely more playful.

"I, umm, well, I saw you that day, and I remembered how nice you used to be to me," he began.

"Back when I had my all out crush on you, you mean?" She laughed musically. "It used to drive Ollie insane. And then, it got worse when he thought I was madly in love with Bruce." He caught it again, that little curl around the name of their loner, the black sheep of the JLA.

"Umm, you and Bruce?" He prodded with his reporter's ears on, but he did not need them. She flushed scarlet, looking down and losing the flirtiness for the moment.

"He barely acknowledged my existence most of the time. You could say I grew up from crushing on you to crushing on him." She smiled as she regained control of her poise. "So, we share a nice dinner, the paparazzi see that you are dating within the hero community, and then what?"

"You've been living in Gotham too long," he laughed. "Always looking for the ulterior motive," he added at her slightly puzzled look. "Tell me, when it is obvious to me you're still crushing on the Dark Knight…why did you accept?"

"Curiosity." She smiled at him with a brightness that seemed out of place for one of Gotham's heroes. "And who in their right mind would turn down a date with Superman?" He started to get indignant, for her playing on the iconic status he held, but then he saw how her eyes were sparkling at him. "Truthfully, it's been a very long time since anyone noticed me that way."

"I find that hard to believe," he told her, reaching out to brush her cheek softly, and getting a warm feeling at the way she cozied into the casual caress.

"Seriously. Single since…just before Black Lightning's niece was killed." Her eyes darkened, and he remembered hearing that Green Arrow had been somehow connected to that entire debacle.

"Well, maybe I'm not the only one who needs to take the dating scene seriously." He could not help the way his voice deepened, almost invitingly. At the way her eyes meet his, he begins to see a hint of why J'onn suggested dating other heroes. Other heroes knew the risks, and accepted the comforts offered without the full baggage of complicating their professional lives.

"Maybe I will," she murmured, before turning her attention to the freshly prepared meal coming to their table.

* * *

Over dinner Dinah proved to be an engaging conversationalist. She avoided politics; he knew enough of her to understand that she respected his opinions in that field without necessarily sharing them. She did not talk much about their field of work, either, other than in passing mention of this hero or that. It struck him that, while every hero knew him, she knew most every hero, at least any that had ever dealt with the big teams. On the subject of Gotham City and its family of heroes, she said absolutely nothing. He had to ask about Oracle, and her recovery from Brainiac's virus to get any information at all. When he realized that, he had to stifle a small smile; she was as much a bat as any of the rest of them.

After dinner, the diminutive woman asked him to just take a walk with her, looking around San Paolo. She was quieter then, and he found himself wondering what she might be considering.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'd be overcharging you," she teased, giving him a smile. "I'm just thinking how nice it is that my pager has not gone off, nor have you been summoned away. That's why I think I gave up after Ollie this time. Just too tired of the interruptions, the hasty explanations if they weren't in our business, the struggle to find excuses."

"Is that why you and Oliver stayed together so long?" He thought of all the problems he and Lois had had, due to his need to save everyone. "You both knew what the other did, and let them?"

"No." She shook her head sadly. "We stayed together because we are...were very very much in love. I only left because I got selfish and wanted more of him than I could have."

"And since he came back?" He had to pry, just a little, to find out why the little bird was not with her archer.

"It was setting up the same way." She sighed. "And I had moved on too far to go back, no matter what I felt for him."

"It really is sad when two people can be so in love, and not be able to find a way to make it work," he told her, in a too-knowing voice.

"Same thing with your former wife?" she queried. "I can imagine how hard it had too have been for her to share you. You are Superman, and everyone depends on you for everything." His chuckle and nod made her pat his arm before snuggling up closer to his side. "This business of saving people never really gets any easier, especially when it costs us our personal lives."

"I never would have expected wisdom in such a small package," he teased her. She laughed, and then held her arms up to him.

"Take me flying, Superman," she murmured. He was more than pleased to comply, finding a small pleasure in holding her as they leisurely flew through the air.

* * *

He took her flying, from the night of South America into the daylight half way around the world. She laughed so freely, making him feel a cheer he had not in some time. He brought her back to her apartment, and she kissed him on the lips, sweetly but chastely, saying she enjoyed herself, to call her the next time he was free. He thought that might be a wonderful idea, and then it was back to work for him, while she went to check in with her partner. His superhearing caughts the initial bit from her side.

"Canary online, Oracle," she purred, sounding quite content. "Yes, yes it was a good night…anything happen…" He stopped focusing on her voice as he flew back to Metropolis, for once not worrying what Lois was doing or if he should go to the Kent Farm and visit there. The night seemed to speed by, pleasantly wrapped up in thoughts of how her laughter made him feel.

* * *

It was just another meeting of the League, touching base and letting each other know they all still lived and breathed in Justice's name. Superman walked in, cheerfully whistling and full of joy with the world. He noted Batman was present, an oddity even in the light of the Bat's more open policies of late. Then he saw Green Arrow giving him a very odd, hard stare, and he began to get a glimmer of what dating a girl like Dinah might entail. He was almost thankful she was not currently active on the League, because she would likely break all their hearts in one little tirade about men and their pissing contests over women. He resolved to make it through the meeting, and not stay for whatever macho talk Ollie would pour out while Batman glared.

His plans went awry as Arthur needed his attention, letting the two men block the doorway. Ollie nodded amiably to Arthur on his way out, but he firmly took Clark by the arm and shoulder, guiding him back to the table, while Batman…no, he'd pushed the cowl back… while Bruce waited silently.

"Now, Supes, ol' pal," Ollie began, his tone tight. "Word is that you're seeing Dinah these days." He kept his gaze intently on the Kryptonian's face. "I know you and me never really see eye to eye, but I think I should say this, just to make it completely clear where I stand."

"I know you and she were together a long time, Oliver." Superman couldn't help but be amused by this display.

"No, this isn't about me and her. It's all about the Pretty Bird, and the fact I want her to be happy. And happy means no crying over relationships with invulnerable guys on the rebound," Ollie continued. He squeezed Superman's shoulder, knowing it was merely a gesture, not an intimidation as it would have been with a mere human. "Dinah's not a rebound girl. You set the relationship right from the beginning with her, and keep in mind she's the type that will always be looking for the happily ever after." Ollie's voice became so serious, so concerned for the last part of his speech that Clark actually looked into the Archer's eyes, and saw the haunted look of a man who had tasted paradise and been kicked out.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Ollie. We had one date, and it's up to her how it goes from here," Superman found himself saying, trying to ease the other man's pain, despite himself.

"That's all I ask." The green-garbed man cockily stood from his perch on the table and sauntered out, as if he wasn't hurting all over from losing his perfect woman.

"Why are you here?" Superman asked Bruce, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Going to remind me no flying in Gotham?"

"No." The swirl of the cape was at odds with the voice. It was always strange when Bruce and Batman overlapped, Superman decided. He looked up as Bruce stood in front of him. "Are you just attracted to her? Or testing the waters?" Bruce's questions were dispassionate, a standard query, it would seem. Superman put it down to Dinah working out of his city, of being on the edges of his Bat-Family.

"It was a single date. She's intelligent, saucy, outspoken…"

"Everything Lois was when you first started dating." Bruce's words were like a cold splash of water right in his face.

"But," Superman spluttered, trying to find a flaw in Bruce's logic.

"I'm not judging, Clark. Just want you to see it for the possibility that you are looking for something from your past." Bruce reached back, pulling his cowl up slowly.

"How'd you see that so quickly?" the Big Boy Scout asked, getting a quirky smile.

"Your tastes and mine in women run too close." With that, Batman left the conference room, and Superman stayed to ponder it more.

* * *

Clark was mindful of the words shared with him by two men who seemed to value the welfare of one woman in particular as he arrived at that woman's apartment. They had run into each other over a small battle with Weather Wizard, and she had flirted audaciously with him in front of both Kara and Huntress, so maybe…

The door swung in to show Dinah was enjoying a night off from her usual pastime of kicking villain butt. Her long hair was swept back in a ponytail, her face a mix of surprise and delight. The oddest thing was seeing her so clothed, Clark noted. She was wearing sweat pants and though her shirt had no sleeves, it came up to her throat. The effect, after being so accustomed to seeing her revealed, was …distracting, to say the least.

"I, umm, heard you had moved back to Metropolis, now that the city repairs are done," he said, fighting the urge to stammer and blush, as she knew who he was. There was no need for a mask with her, he told himself firmly. She smiled lazily, flowing up against him and kissing his cheek softly. He realized, as she pressed so close, that blushing stammerer was no mask in her presence; she had a way of confusing him and stripping layers of his control.

"Come in. I had hoped to see you again, but was surprised to see you now." She indicated the messy apartment. "Still, I can order take out." She looked at him with bright eyes.

"Let me get it," he offered quickly, setting a box of chocolates down for her. "Back in a flash," he said warmly.

"Oh I hope not…let's leave him to Linda." The devilish twinkle in her eye almost broke him, made him choose not to waste minutes away, when he could be sharing that humor. He smiled, feeling the blush at her innuendo, and ducked out at superspeed to go find the perfect meal. He did not need to ask; he had been watching her eat for far longer than he had been actively noticing her. A meal made up from around the world is what he placed on the Japanese style table she had just finished clearing, earning a smile and a very warm look. 

"A girl could get spoiled," she commented. "This was more than I expected, Clark."

"But not more than you deserve," he retorted. She looked at him sharply, then relaxed to see he was only speaking the truth as he saw it. 

"Watch that silver tongue, Clark…or we might skip some of the rituals and head straight for the payoff," she told him in such a saucy tone that he blushed bright red. It made her smile to see him so flustered by that one statement. He realized she was teasing and relaxed into a warm smile for her as well, jumping up to get drinks for them before she could. When he returned, her place was beside his, not across from him. "You need to taste this," Dinah purred as he sat, holding out a dumpling to him on her chopsticks. Clark accepted it, finding that dining in with the woman was an experience in flirtation and frustration. 

Her attempts to share the tastes with him led to him offering her bites, and the way her lips closed on every bite kept his attention riveted. It just seemed perfectly natural that by the time they had cleared away the food, she was leaning into his space, and he was keeping one arm around her waist. 

"Movie? I think I already have it hooked up right." Dinah stood gracefully and offered him a hand up. It was so human, so normal, and such proof that Dinah did not see him as different from the other heroes, that he could not help but lean down and kiss her lightly once he was standing next to her.

She accepted the kiss, her hand sliding from the one she held to go against his chest, her free one sliding around his waist to rest on his lower back. As light as he intended it, her willingness in it drew the kiss further, until he was lost in tasting her and the space between them shrank to nothing.

She was the one to break it, to push back, a pale flush on her cheeks as she ducked her head demurely. "They really know how to kiss in Smallville," she teased, but her conflict between going slow and easy versus responding to the desires he had awakened was there in her voice.

"They might know a little more," he intimated, testing the waters, and seeing very quickly that this was a crucial point. She could back out still, and things might go on as they had…but more than likely it was the beginning of a true affair or the end of a short-lived dating friendship.

"Do show me, Clark," she whispered softly, taking his hand and gently pulling him toward the back part of the apartment.

* * *

She was awake before him, which seemed a touch obscene considering the lengths he had wound up going to in an attempt to wear her out. She noted his eyes were open with a smile.

"I thought about cooking breakfast, but something about lying next to a living sun is making me feel more like a cat than a bird." She shifted from being on his shoulder to actually laying over him, her nude body warm and inviting on its own. His own body noted it with almost instant results, and he was the one left gasping as she took advantage of him.

* * *

He wanted to ask if all her lovers had gotten this treatment. Then he remembered the one she had been with the longest, and decided to skip it. He enjoyed the breakfast she insisted he share with her, not fussing at him when he moved into the kitchen to help her. If anything, she welcomed the excuses to be very tactile, brushing close to him and stealing small kisses. It was…a heady experience for someone who was used to living at the break neck speeds of a hotshot journalist. Not to mention the man who had to save the world from itself.

That thought spurred the sudden knowledge that not once in the entire night had he been disturbed by a priority call. Nor through the morning. His suspicions sent him straight to one source, and he thought very hard about the person in question.

{"J'onn,"} he questioned, half wary.

{"It is not just for you,"} J'onn acknowledged. {"She is my dear friend, almost like a sister to me."}

{"Thank you. But don't tax yourself."}

{"I have had plenty of help,"} the Martian assured him.

The link faded back, as Dinah took their dishes. "Sorry if I've made you late," she murmured, smiling gently. 

"I can handle it." He tried to take the dishes but she shook her head. He smiled and looked at his watch.

"I should be going." He gripped her shoulders and kissed her on the top of her head.

She nodded. "Clark…thank you."

He looked puzzled, but she smiled and quirked an eyebrow at the bedroom, making him flush and nod.

"I think the thanks run in the other direction," he told her.

* * *

There were always things he regretted after the battles. He just never expected it to be something on such a personal level, had not anticipated the reaction. Of course, Bruce had warned him, reminded him that so much of what he saw in Dinah had been what he saw in Lois. And for all that he had rescued Lois on a regular basis, the woman had never stopped resenting being the damsel in distress.

He could argue that it was strictly his habit, of being the tank, of taking the damage. But when he saw her standing near Ollie, still fuming at his interference in her part of the fight, he realized he had to do one better than rationalizing.

"Canary…I wanted to say that I am sorry…I misread the situation." He kept his eyes on her, not looking at the glowering archer as Dinah worked her shoulder from where she had wrenched it, trying to adjust to Superman's presence in her sphere of operations. The blonde met his eyes, read his sincere repentance, and nodded with a sigh.

"Just don't…Don't ever do that again. And if I ever suspect you did it for what we are right now…I'll be twice as angry." She then walked away, leaving him with the archer.

"You got off light." Ollie had been on the receiving in of the usual lecture.

"Let's hope she doesn't realize I did react because it was her." Superman shook his head. "She's so fragile to take on what she does."

"Yep…and that's why we love her." Ollie clapped the Kryptonian on the shoulder. "Nice apology by the way. Good way to keep her temper in check." The man in green made his way to Hal, to catch a ride back to Star City before he had to make a public appearance.


End file.
